An anniversary is an arbitrary milestone. Just like we like round numbers (top 10 lists, 20th reunions, 40th birthdays…) we like to mark the annual passage of momentous events in our lives, even if it’s just a convenient way to mark another trip around the sun.
And yet… an anniversary is a great opportunity to take stock. To be strategic instead of tactical. To look fondly at what you’ve achieved, to think about how you can improve, and to look forward to what future anniversaries are like. It’s a past, present, and future evaluation that makes you appreciate the occasion even more.
Take a wedding anniversary. You can use it to look backwards: to remember your wedding day, to see where you’ve been and what you’ve built together, to reminisce about past celebrations. Or you can revel in the now: to mark the occasion together with a nice dinner or a getaway, to share it privately or with friends and family. Or you can use it to look towards the future: what your 20th, your 30th, or your 40th anniversary will be like, and what you want to do to get there.
Or better yet, you can do all three.
